Record opposition to war: poll

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Public opposition to the war in Iraq was at an all-time high while support
for US President George W Bush's handling of the broader war against terrorism
was at an all-time low, the latest Gallup Poll has revealed.

The survey of 1,000 participants nationwide was conducted after the deadliest
month for US troops and revelations about the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by
American forces.

Released today, the poll revealed across-the-board problems for the
president, with his approval slipping on concerns ranging from homeland security
to foreign policy to the economy.

Those findings, combined with a sharply growing discontent for the way things
are going in the country in general, are translating to an even tougher
re-election contest on November 2.

The survey - conducted Sunday through to today - showed 49 per cent of likely
voters favouring Democrat John Kerry, while 48 per cent went for Bush.

This is a tighter race than the six percentage-point advantage Gallup found
for Bush less than a month ago. Just as revealing: A closer look at 16
battleground states shows Kerry favoured among 48 per cent, Bush 44 - again, a
statistical tie.

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The unrelenting run of bad news in Iraq was polarising the nation, experts
said, and appeared to have peeled away the support of some voters who had been
willing to give Bush the benefit of the doubt.

But it's not only the war against terrorism - the mainstay of Bush's
re-election campaign - that is troubling voters, Gallup found: Support for
Bush's handling of the economy slumped to an all-time low at a time when
indicators suggested the nation's economic health was improving.

"The overall tone of the American electorate now has turned glum," said
Frank Newport, The Gallup Poll's editor in chief. "It's surprising to some
observers, because the economy is doing better. But for whatever reason, the
public has actually turned more dour on Bush on the economy."

Although half of those surveyed still say Bush made the right call in going
to war with Iraq, 55 per cent now disapprove of how Bush is handing the
situation - a sharp contrast to January, when 61 per cent approved of
Bush's actions in Iraq. That plunge, Newport said, could have as much to do with
at least 136 US troops killed in Iraq during April as with recent revelations of
prison abuses.

Bush, who yesterday condemned the acts of brutality against Iraqi prisoners
and reprimanded Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld for failing to fully inform
him of the problems, issued a public apology today and pledged the troops
involved would be punished.

Kerry, who supported the invasion of Iraq, criticised the Bush administration
for not acting more swiftly when accusations arose in January.

"Today, I have a message for the men and women of our armed forces," Kerry
said in a speech in Colton, California. "As commander-in-chief, I will honour
your commitment and I will take responsibility for the bad as well as the good.
As president, I will not be the last to know what is going on in my command."

Today's poll for CNN and USA Today also showed public approval of Bush's
overall performance as president - 49 per cent - matching an all-term low hit
twice before, in winter and spring polls Gallup conducted.

The overall poll carries a possible margin of error of three percentage
points. A smaller group of 564 likely voters has a four-point margin of error.